Monday, June 29, 2015

Life is
really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
- Confucius

The Stock Market has Never Made Sense to Me

Several times in my life I have been burned
by the stock market, losing tens of thousands of dollars.Seems every time a speculator sneezes, the
market goes haywire, it seldom runs along the lines of what really goes on in
the financial markets [often due to government manipulation] and therefore, the
little guy often comes out on the short end of the stick as it did during the
2009-2009 crash.Washington never bailed
out main street and Wall Street bigwigs went mainly unpunished.

I
warned many of my business associates back then to liquidate inventory, build
cash reserves and start buying land, silver and long term commodities including
food stocks.Now I admit, I lived in an
area of Arizona dominated by Mormons and their influence encouraged me to
stockpile food and other items.

It
is apparent that ever since former President Clinton eliminated certain
regulatory laws which had prevented Wall Street from becoming a casino, the
little guy in America has become a major loser economically.

“One of the biggest threats
that we face in the U.S. is an economic collapse,” former CIA
Officer Jason Hanson writes in his latest Survival Letter.
“You and I both know that government spending is obscenely out of control and
we’re in debt up to our ears. The only reason we haven’t had an economic
collapse yet is because the dollar is the world’s reserve currency. This means
the U.S. government gets to turn on the printing presses and create dollars out
of thin air.

Now, even the smart money is beginning to
pull their money out of stocks while they still can and stories have emerged
about the exit plans the wealthy have been making to stockpile assets and
bug-out property outside of the United States. According to USA
Today, mutual fund investors have
pulled more money out of stocks than they have put into stocks for 16 weeks in a row…

In a sign of stock market nervousness on Main
Street, mutual fund investors have yanked more money out of U.S. stock funds
than they put in for 16
straight weeks.

The last time domestic stock funds had
positive net cash inflows was in the week ending Feb. 25, according to data
from the Investment Company Institute, a mutual fund trade group.

In the week ended June 17, the most recent
data available, mutual funds that invest in U.S. stocks suffered net outflows
of $3.45 billion, according to the ICI.

Since late February, U.S. stock
funds have suffered estimated outflows of nearly $55 billion. Those net withdrawals come despite the fact
the benchmark Standard & Poor’s 500 hit a fresh record high of 2130.82 on
May 21 and the Dow Jones industrial average notched a fresh record on May 19.

But it isn’t just stocks that are going to
crash during the next financial crisis. Bonds are going to crash as well…others too have been sounding the warning
bell:

[Regardless
of current economics, I feel the balance of the 21st Century will be
the Asian Century].

How’s the economy really doing?
Look at Americans’ income
(Market Watch): "Lots of the economic numbers we report each week are
divorced from the reality of everyday Americans. Can you feel the difference
when gross domestic product decelerates? Is your sleep troubled if
durable-goods orders fall more than expected? Do you get giddy when housing
starts surge? But there’s one economic data point that hits everyone
right in the pocketbook: income.“

Your Secrets are Safe – Share Wisely!

Did you know the international software

security group Kaspersky recently uncovered

malware that it claims was developed and used

by the NSA to infect computers at a very basic

level that cannot be detected by most anti-virus

searches?

The mysterious module, identified by the

cryptic name “nls_933w.dll”, reprograms or

reflashes a computer hard drive’s firmware

with malicious code. It operates below the level

of most encryption and virus detection schemes,

so those defenses would not protect data.

Researchers Xeno

Kovah and Corey Kallenberg
have found that

NSA is not alone in its ability
to hack your

computer’s BIOS, the system
that boots your

computer up and loads your
software. At a

conference in Vancouver
this spring, they

demonstrated how easy it is
to infect the BIOS

of multiple systems
remotely by exploiting a host

of vulnerabilities that
took them just hours to

uncover. They could even
undermine the security

of specialized operating
systems like Tails, which

is popular with journalists
and activists for stealth

communications and
sensitive data, according to a

report
by Kim Zetter on Wired.com.

Note:Seems every government agency including local
police, the FBI and even the CIA is spying on citizens with the so-called...

StingRay surveillance
device manufactured by

Harris Corporation, a
secretive multibillion-dollar

defense contractor and a
maker of the technology.

The device, also sometimes
called KingFish or by

the generic name “cell site
simulator,” is small

enough to fit in a suitcase
and intercepts a cell

phone signal by acting like
a cellphone tower. It

can capture calls, texts,
emails and other data

transmitted by a cell
phone.

The cops are also adding
other digital tools like

video cameras, license
plate readers, surveillance

drones, gunshot detection
sensors and software

programs
that scan millions of phone records.

All
of this is becoming what I have termed the Sovietization of Amerika…a term I coined
when I had a Top Secret Security clearance while serving in a communications
branch of our USN.Even then most of us
began to realize the real goal in America was for the government to control
every aspect of our lives…hence, the war on using cash and your privacy.

You can take steps of your own to
shield your communications with others

from prying eyes. There’s a
whole array of devices

and software applications
that offer protection

of your digital interface
in different ways—Black -

phone, RedPhone, Pidgin,
Open Whisper, Text -

Secure, ChatSecure, Silent
Circle, SpiderOak and

many more. These shields
guard against many

levels
of intrusion.

Financial Watchdogs Under Attack Again
by Special Interests

It’s budget time – yet another occasion for
Wall Street lobbyists and their friends on Capitol Hill to go after the agency
conceived by Senator Elizabeth Warren to bring fairness and transparency to the
banking and lending markets. Once again, the special interests have made a
special target of Washington’s only financial regulator with a mandate to put
the interests of consumers first – an agency that over the past 4 years has
delivered $5.5 billion in refunds and restitution to consumers cheated in one
way or another by financial companies big and small.

The House Appropriations Committee has
approved a funding bill that contains multiple attacks on the Consumer Bureau.
This legislation, which next heads to the House floor for a vote, would take
away the CFPB’s independent funding, subjecting it to the annual appropriations
process and intensified pressure from the worst elements of Wall Street as well
as payday and other high-cost lenders—companies that have never before faced
the prospect of serious rules or enforcement from Washington, and really don’t
like it.

The bill
would tie the CFPB up in endless new reporting requirements, in a transparent
effort to drain resources away from its real work. On top of everything else,
House appropriators are trying to stop the agency from restricting the use of
forced arbitration clauses, which keep consumers from banding together over a
pattern of illegal behavior and make them accept the judgment of a private,
secretive tribunal chosen by the company they’re complaining against. One more
thing about this legislation: it would underfund the Securities and Exchange
Commission, weakening its oversight capacity and potentially exposing investors
and taxpayers to significant losses.

WeBuildMen.org is a place
to get the know-how, tools and support to help build tomorrow’s
men, today.

We’ve set out to build a national movement that encourages
men to join us to help change a young man’s life, starting with this community
platform that’s custom-built for today’s man—to help him take on the challenges
of contemporary mentorship in a bite-sized, confident and exciting way. The
potential and power of our work lies in the participation of men like you and
the exciting group of partners we’ve engaged… #WeBuildMen

“It is perfectly
possible for a man to be out of prison and yet not free—to be under no physical
constraint and yet be a psychological captive, compelled to think, feel and act
as the representatives of the national state, or of some private interest within
the nation wants him to think, feel and act. . . . To him the walls of his
prison are invisible and he believes himself to be free.”—Aldous Huxley, A Brave New World Revisited

Although government inflation stats always
LIE…the cost of living in my neck of the woods is going through the roof.
EVERYTHING IS expensive.Eggs – doubled
in price in a week; fuel prices jumped 25 cents a gallon…but the single largest
increase which nearly gave me a stroke – our water bill jumped 1000%...not for
usage but because we live 12 feet outside of the city and our rates are now based on consumption plus the value of your property!

Of course, the city did not provide any advance notice...

I know many of us
are getting damned sick and tired of it and I am starting to finally get
serious about moving back to a civilized state - Arizona.

How To Build An Off-Grid Home … Debt-Free

The American dream of owning your own home is
fading away for many these days. Hardworking families, even with frugality and
sacrifice, can’t save enough for a down payment or secure an affordable
mortgage.

So instead of the traditional American model
of the past – where a family saves 10 or 20 percent of a home’s cost and buys a
starter home – some people are looking for alternative ways to pay for the
American dream.

One of these options is simply not borrowing
money to buy a home. This may sound like fantasy – and often it is – but for
those willing to make a long-term commitment and work hard, it can be feasible.

Before moving forward, let’s begin with a
caveat. Local zoning ordinances and municipal regulations will prevent you from
building a solid, off-the-grid home in many larger cities. So the caveat is
that you’ll live in a rural area outside city limits that has fewer and/or
looser building codes. [Even in some backwater 3rd world Podunk
towns where I have my mini-farm the local gendarme are jerks who act more like
petty politburo communists who don’t believe in publishing their outdated
requirements anywhere]…

So to build a home you need at least five
things. First: the land for your
homestead. Second: building materials and tools. Third: the labor and skills to
construct a home. Fourth, you’ll need realistic expectations. Unless you just
won the lottery, your home will be of modest size. Finally, patience is key. If
your goal is a homestead without debt, you may have to gradually improve upon
things as money becomes available.

The plan for building an off-the-grid home
debt free relies on you saving enough money to purchase building materials and
the tools needed to construct a home.

Land

If you want an off-the-grid homestead without
debt, land is the biggest challenge. Most people simply can’t pay for a lot of
land upfront. However, there are some options.Find them here:

9
Ways to Live Rent Free
How would you like to live rent free? Sounds inviting, doesn't it? According to
the Department of Numbers, the median gross monthly rent paid in 2013 was $905;
that calculates to nearly $11,000 annually and more if you live in an area
where rents tend to be high, such as Santa Monica, California or Boulder,
Colorado. But, if you do a little research, you can find creative ways to live
for cheap or even for free. So what are some ways to live rent free? Read
more.

Low
Cost HomeSecurity TacticsSometimes the costs associated with home
security can be daunting. When you buy a home security system, you're looking
at a monthly monitoring fee, plus an installation fee, plus any equipment
charges. Considering the financial commitment, buying a home security system
may not be the right home security tactic for everyone. Although a home
security system is a great asset for those who can afford it, there are lots of
ways you can fortify your home without breaking the bank. Here are some
cost-efficient strategies for making your home a safer place. Read
more.

Build a Rain Water Collection System

Homeowners use a lot of water every year watering the
lawn or garden, which means that a lot of water and money goes, as they say,
down the drain. Installing a rainwater collection system at the end of your
gutter downspouts controls excess surface water and buckets it for use on your
lawn. Cut down on needless water use and save money by trying this natural
resource-saving irrigation technique.

In an effort to provide more consistent energy generation
than a “wind only” or “solar only” system, WindStream Technologies has
developed a first-of-its-kind, fully integrated, “HYBRID” renewable energy
product, The “SolarMill®.” The SolarMill® incorporates 3
vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) with P.V. technology within a compact
footprint, creating the greatest energy density of any product on the market.
The hybrid concept of the SolarMill® is unique, seamlessly
integrating wind and solar energy generation in a single unit…

Monday, June 22, 2015

Jade
Helm: Guide for the Perplexed

These
exercises “officially” begin next month on July 15. But if you’ve been
following the news, you know they’ve been training for weeks in various places
in anticipation of Jade Helm.

Yes, they are performing training exercises for their training exercises. And
they are not your run-of-the-mill combat training. They appear to be in
preparation for civil disturbance on a mass scale.

These exercises are part of what they call
“Realistic Military Training” (RMT).
RMT is training conducted outside of federally owned property. And it’s
designed to ensure the coordination of Department of Defense representatives
and local and regional authorities.

Many of these RMT exercises will be conducted from 11 a.m. to 4 a.m.

And if you
live in a “Jade Helm area,” the two months between July 15 and Sept. 15 are
going to include…

FIVE: Some participants will
try to deceive you by wearing similar clothes as you and driving unassuming
vehicles…

To help calm public concerns of the exercise,” an Arizona Courier article reads, “U.S.
Army Special Operations Command has conducted a series of information sessions
disclosing certain operational details.”

The explanations, though, as mentioned, are proving to cause even more
suspicion. The Courier
says:

“However, not everyone has been comforted by
the Jade Helm publicity explanations. In fact, until existence of the operation
was leaked, most people had never heard of it, including governors and
representatives of the states involved in the exercise.”

And not to mention that it seems as if
everyone is saying something different. For example…

First, the Army stated: “The public can expect nothing much different from
their day-to-day activities since much of the exercise will be conducted in
remote areas.”

But then that narrative fell through when, Roy Boyd, chief deputy with the
Victoria County Sheriff’s Office in Texas let this cat out of the bag:
"They're going to set up cells of people and test how well they're able to
move around without getting too noticed in the community. They're testing their
abilities to basically blend in with the local environment and not stand out
and blow their cover."

The “official” states that
these drills are taking place include: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California,
Nevada, Utah, Mississippi, Florida and Louisiana. (Colorado was originally
included, but opted out.)

The drills will be conducted by Special Forces in collaboration
with local law enforcement, the FBI, DHS, the DEA and Border Patrol.

This is only one example of conflicting statements regarding what Jade Helm’s
purpose is… and what will happen and why is this not in violation of
Constitutional law?

A military
source also spoke about military exercises being conducted outside of the
U.S. that few people know about.

“1-252 Armor Regiment of a Combined Arms Battalion (CAB)
of the 30th Armor Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) within the North Carolina National
Guard conducting a drill in a motor pool in Hohenfels training base in Germany
for civil disturbance, riot
control and "fire phobia training.”
“The folks throwing the molotovs are from the Portuguese army and are acting as
cadre for the drill.”

This particular base in Germany, BN told us, rotates “in National Guard units
to do training with NATO forces.

“The thing is,” he went on, “this kind of went under the radar, we need to ask
why their doing that training. That’s civil disturbance training, cut and dry.”

"It
[the State] has taken on a vast mass of new duties and responsibilities; it has
spread out its powers until they penetrate to every act of the citizen, however
secret; it has begun to throw around its operations the high dignity and
impeccability of a State religion; its agents become a separate and superior
caste, with authority to bind and loose, and their thumbs in every pot. But it
still remains, as it was in the beginning, the common enemy of all
well-disposed, industrious and decent men. "
-- H. L. Mencken

Confidence in our System
Continues to Drop

I’ve written
about the decline our country for years and it is due to the greed and
corruption of what I’ve termed – The Washington-Wall Street Cartel who have
little regard for the condition our country has fallen to…or the social contract that used to exist. Elections certainly don't ever live up to the glib promises made...instead, we continue to lose our rights and the value of our dollar.

“Americans’ confidence in most
major U.S. institutions remains below the historical average for each one,” a Gallup spokesman said in a news relea

All in all, it’s a picture of a nation discouraged about its present
and worried about its future, and highly
doubtful that its institutions can pull America out of its trough.

There is plenty of good reason, with evidence
uncovered daily, weekly and consistently throughout the years of the hypocrisy and failures of
government, the failed promises of politicians, the lies and spin of the
mainstream media and newspapers, the greed and exploitation of the financial sector and the “just us”
mentality of above-the-law enforcers who are supposed to uphold justice.

Just check out how little faith remains in
the structure of, well, just about any institution in America, by the numbers:

Only 8 percent have confidence in
Congress, down by 16
points from a long-term average of 24 percent – the lowest of all
institutions rated.

33 percent have confidence in the
presidency, a drop
from a historical average of 43 percent.

32 percent have confidence in the
Supreme Court, down from
44.

28 percent have confidence
in banks, down from
40 percent.

21 percent have confidence in big
business, down from
24 percent.

24 percent have confidence in
organized labor, down
from 26.

24 percent have confidence in
newspapers, down from
32 percent.

21 percent have confidence in
television news, down from
30 percent.

What else can be said, but that the system is
broken?

Obviously it bears little resemblance to the
one envisioned by the founding fathers and their emphasis on separation of
powers and limited government.

None of the three branches of government are
trusted by even close to a majority of the American populace… maybe that’s to
be expected, with frequent media criticisms of political figures in a
polarizing two party system.

But other pillars of society have lost their
backing of the public, too – in astonishing numbers that show not only that the
American dream is dead, but that private institutions are widely perceived as being just as
corrupt as public ones (or worse).

To top it off – this perception is entirely
deserved. The aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis consolidated the power and wealth of the big banks, and gave the Federal Reserve
ultimate power over the economy, while average Americans suffered greatly.

Free Money:An individual development account, or IDA allows
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nonprofit groups, corporations and government agencies.